Óó of SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. of God, which was the only means of divine revela- tion at that season. Try yourselves by that pattern; examine yourselves whether you can truly speak the same words with him ; at least, if not in the same de- gree of zeal, yet with the same sincerity of grace. You will say, that was David. It is not for us, it is not our duty to be like him, at least not to be equal with him. But as far as I know, we u'mst be like him, if ever we intend to come to the place where he is. It will ruin our souls, if, whenwe read in the scripture how the saints of God express their experience in faith, love, delight inGod and constant meditations on him, we grant that it was so with them ; that they were good and holy men, but it is not necessary that it should be so with us. These things are not written in the scripture to show what they were, but what we ought to be. All things concerning them were written for our admonition. 1 Cor. 10, 11. And if we have not the same delight in God as they had, the same spiritual mindedness in thoughts and meditations of heavenly things, we can have no evidence that we please God as they did, or shall go to that place whither they are gone. Profession of the life of God passeth with many at a very low and easy rate. Their thoughts are for the most part vain and earthly, their communication unsavory, and sometimes corrupt, their lives at best uneven and uncertain, as unto the rule of obedience ; yet all is well, all is life and peace. The holy men of old, who obtained this testi- mony that they pleased God, did not so walk before him. They meditated continually in the law; thought of God in the night seasons ; spake of his ways, his works, his praise ; their whole delight was in him, and in all things they followed hard after him. It is the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=